Tierra del Fuego, near Cape Horn, which was twice visited
during our
voyage. They are not found on Georgia, or on the other antarctic
islands. In many respects these hawks very closely resemble in their
habits the P. Brasiliensis. They live on the flesh of dead
animals, and on marine productions. On the Ramirez Rocks, which support
no vegetation, and therefore no land-animals, their entire sustenance
must depend upon the sea. At the Falkland Islands they were
extraordinarily tame and fearless; and constantly haunted the
neighbourhood of the houses to pick up all kinds of offal. If a hunting
party in the country killed a beast, these birds immediately
congregated from all quarters of the horizon; and standing on the
ground in a circle, they patiently awaited for their feast to commence.
After eating, their uncovered craws are largely protruded,
giving to them a disgusting appearance. I mention this particularly,
because M. D'Orbigny says that the P. Brasiliensis is the
only
bird of this family in which the craw is much developed. They readily
attack wounded birds; one of the officers of the Beagle told me he saw
a cormorant in this state fly to the shore, where several of these
hawks immediately seized upon it, and hastened its death by their
repeated blows. I have been told that several have been seen to wait
together at the mouth of a rabbit hole, and seize on the animal as it
comes out. This is acting on a principle of union, which is
sufficiently remarkable in birds of prey; but which is in strict
conformity with the fact stated by Azara, namely, that several
Carranchas unite together in pursuit of large birds, even such as
herons.

The Beagle was at the Falkland Islands only during the
early autumn
(March), but the officers of the Adventure, who were there in the
winter, mentioned many extraordinary instances of the boldness and
rapacity of these birds. The sportsmen had difficulty in preventing the
wounded geese from being seized before their eyes; and often, when
having cautiously looked round, they thought they had succeeded in
hiding a fine bird in some crevice of the rocks, on their return, they
found, when intending to pick up their game, nothing but feathers. One
of these hawks pounced on a dog which was lying asleep close by a
party, who were out shooting; and they repeatedly flew on board the
vessel lying in the harbour, so that it was necessary to keep a good
look-out to prevent the hide used about the ropes, being torn from the
rigging, and the meat or game from the stern. They are very mischievous
and inquisitive; and they will pick up almost anything from the ground
: a large black glazed hat was carried nearly a mile, as was a pair of
heavy balls, used in catching wild cattle. Mr. Usborne experienced,
during the survey, a severe loss, in a small Kater's-compass, in a red
morocco case, which was never recovered. These birds are, moreover
quarrelsome, and extremely passionate; it was curious to behold them
when, impatient, tearing up the grass with their bills from rage. They
are not truly

gregarious; they do not soar, and their flight is heavy
and clumsy.
On the ground they run with extreme quickness, putting out one leg
before the other, and stretching forward their bodies, very much like
pheasants. The sealers, who have sometimes, when pressed by hunger,
eaten them, say that the flesh when cooked is quite white, like that of
a fowl, and very good to eat—a fact which I, as well as some others of
a party from the Beagle, who, owing to a gale of wind, were left on
shore in northern Patagonia, until we were very hungry, can answer for,
is far from being the case with the flesh of the Carrancha, or Polyborus
Brasiliensis. It is a strange anomaly that any of the Falconidæshould possess such perfect powers of running as is the case with
this bird, and likewise with the Phalcobænus
montanus of
D'Orbigny. It perhaps, indicates an obscure relationship with the
Gallinaceous order—a relation which M. D'Orbigny suggests is still more
plainly shown in the Secretary Bird, which he believes represents in
Southern Africa, the Polyborinæof America.

The M. leucurus is a noisy bird, and utters
several harsh
cries; of which, one is so like that of the English rook, that the
sealers always call it by this name. It is a curious circumstance, as
shewing how, in allied species, small details of habit accompany
similar structure, that these hawks throw their heads upwards and
backwards, in the same strange manner, as the Carranchas (the Tharu of
Molina) have been described to do. The M. leucurus, builds
on
the rocky cliffs of the sea-coast, but (as I was informed) only on the
small outlying islets, and never on the two main islands: this is an
odd precaution for so fearless a bird.

Description of female specimen, believed to be
applicable to
both sexes.

COLOUR.—Head, back, upper wing coverts pitch black,
passing
into liver brown; feathers on back of neck and shoulders terminating
in a yellowish-brown tip, of which tint the external portion of the
primaries, and nearly the whole of the tertiaries partake. Tail liver
brown, with a terminal white band nearly one inch broad; base of the
tectrices white, irregularly marked with brown: upper tail coverts
white. All the feathers of the wing

tipped with white, their bases irregularly barred with
transverse
marks of brown and white. Under surface.—Chin, throat,
breast,
belly, thighs, under tail-coverts, under lining of wings, and edge of
shoulders perfectly white. On the flanks, however, there are some brown
feathers irregularly interspersed; and on the lower part of the
breast, most of the feathers show a most obscure margin of pale brown.
Bill horn-colour. Cere and tarsi yellow.

FORM.—Cere and nostril as in
the M. Leucurus, but the bill not quite so strong. Feathers
on
the sides and back of head narrow and rather stiff; those on the
shoulders obtusely pointed,—which character of plumage is very general
in this sub-family. Wing: fourth primary very little longer than the
third or the fifth, which are equal to each other. First primary three
inches shorter than the fourth or longest, and more nearly equal to the
sixth than to the seventh. Extremity of wing reaching to within about
an inch and a half of the tail. Tarsi reticulated, with four large
scales at the base: upper part covered with plumose feathers for about
three quarters of an inch below the knee; but these feathers hang down
and cover nearly half of the leg. Middle toe with fifteen scales, outer
ones with about nine. Claws of nearly the same degree of strength,
curvature and breadth as in Polyborus Brasiliensis, or in M.
leucurus, but sharper than those of the latter.

Inch.

Total
length . . . . . .

20½

Tail
. . . . . .

9

Wings
when folded . . . . .

15¾

From
tip of beak to anterior
edge of eye .

9/10

Tarsus
from soles of feet to
knee joint .

3½

Hind
claw measured in straight
line from tip to root . . . . . .

8/10

Claw
of middle toe, a twentieth
less
than that of the hind one.

Habitat, Santa Cruz, 50° S. Patagonia. (April.)

Mr. Gould, at the time of describing this species,
entertained some
doubts whether it might not eventually prove to be the Phalcobænus
montanus of D'Orbigny, in a state of change. I have carefully
compared it with the description of the P. montanus, and
certainly, with the exception of the one great difference of M.
albogularis having a white breast, whilst that part in the P.
montanus is black, the points of resemblance are numerous and
exceedingly close. The M. albogularis, appears to be rather
larger, and the proportional length of the wing feathers are slightly
different; the cere and tarsi are not of so bright a colour; the
middle toe has fifteen scales on it instead of having sixteen or
seventeen. The black shades of the upper surface are pitchy, instead of
having an obscure metallic gloss, and the feathers of the shoulders are
terminated with brown, so as to form a collar, which is not represented
in the figure of

P. montanus, given by M. D'Orbigny. Although the
main
difference between the two birds, is the colour of their breasts, yet
it must be observed, that in the M. albogularis there is
some
indication of an incipient change from white to brown in the plumage of
that part. But as M. D'Orbigny, who was acquainted with the young birds
of the P. montanus, (of which he has given a figure), does
not
mention so remarkable a modification in its plumage, as must take place
on the supposition of M. albogularis being an immature bird
of
that species; and as the geographical range of the two is so very
different, I am induced to consider them distinct. Moreover, on the
plains of Santa Cruz, I saw several birds, and they appeared to me
similar in their colouring. The M. albogularis is
remarkable
from the confined locality which it appears to frequent. A few pair
were seen during the ascent of the river Santa Cruz, (Lat. 50° S.) to
the Cordillera; but not one individual was observed in any other part
of Patagonia. They appeared to me to resemble, in their gait and manner
of flight, the P. Brasiliensis; but they were rather
wilder.
They lived in pairs, and generally were near the river. One day I
observed a couple standing with the Carranchas and M. pezoporus,
at
a short distance from the carcass of a guanaco, on which the condors
had commenced an attack. These peculiarities of habit are described by
M. D'Orbigny in almost the same words, as occurring with the P.
montanus; both birds frequent desert countries; the P.
montanus, however, haunts the great mountains of Bolivia, and
this
species, the open plains of Patagonia.

In the valleys north of 30° in Chile, I saw several pair,
either of
this species, or of the P. montanus of D'Orbigny, (if, as is
probable, they are different) or of some third kind. From the
circumstance of its not extending (as I believe) so far south even as
the valley of Coquimbo, it is extremely improbable that it should be
the M. albogularis,—an inhabitant of a plain country twenty
degrees further south. On the other hand, the P. montanus lives
at a great elevation on the mountains of Upper Peru; and therefore it
is probable that it might be found in a higher latitude, but at a less
elevation. M. D'Orbigny says, "Elle aime les terrains secs et
dépourvus de grands végétaux, qui lui seraient inutiles; car il nous
est prouvé qu'elle ne se perche pas sur les branches." In another part
he adds, "Elle descend cependant quelquefois jusque près de la mer,
sur la côte du Pérou, mais ce n'est que pour peu de temps, et peut-être
afin d'y chercher momentanément une nourriture qui lui manque dans son
séjour habituel; peut-être aussi la nature du sol l'y attire-t-elle;
car elle y trouve les terrains arides qui lui sont propres."* This is
so entirely the character of the northern parts of Chile, that, it
appears to me extremely probable, that the P. montanus, which
inhabits the great mountains of Bolivia, descends, in Northern Chile,
to near the shores of the Pacific; but that further

When ascending the Despoblado, a branch of the valley of
Copiapó in
Northern Chile, I saw several brown-coloured hawks, which at the time
appeared new to me, but of which I did not procure a specimen. These I
have no doubt were the A. megaloptera of Meyen. In the
British
Museum there is a specimen, brought from Chile by Mr. Crawley. Mr. G.
R. Gray suspects that this bird may eventually prove to be the young of
the Phalcobænus montanus of
D'Orbigny, and as I saw that
bird
(or another species having a close general resemblance with it) in the
valleys of Northern Chile, although not in the immediate vicinity, this
supposition is by no means improbable. Meyen's figure at first sight
appears very different from that of the young of the P. montanus,
given
by M. D'Orbigny, for in the latter the feathers over nearly the whole
body are more distinctly bordered with a pale rufous shade, the thighs
barred with the same, and the general tint is of a much redder brown.
But with the exception of these differences, which are only in degree,
I can find in M. D'Orbigny's description no other distinguishing
character, whilst on the other hand, there are numerous points of close
resemblance between the two birds in the shadings, and even trifling
marks of their plumage. Meyen, moreover, in describing the habits of
his species, says, it frequents a region just below the limit of
perpetual snow, and that it sometimes soars at a great height like a
condor. Those which I saw had the general manners of a Polyborus or
Milvago, and were flying from rock to rock amongst the
mountains at a considerable elevation, but far below the snow-line. In
these several respects, there is a close agreement with the habits of
the P. montanus, as described by M. D'Orbigny. I will only
add
that the specimen in the British Museum appeared, independently of
differences of plumage, distinct from the M. albogularis of
Patagonia, from the thinness and greater prolongation of its beak, and
the slenderness of its tarsi.

MR. GOULD was partly led to institute this genus from the
facts
communicated to him by me regarding the habits of the following
species, which is found in the Galapagos Archipelago, and there
supplies the place of the Polybori and Milvagines of the neighbouring
continent of America. If a principle of classification founded on
habits alone, were admissible, this bird, as will presently be shown,
undoubtedly would be ranked with more propriety in the sub-family of
Polyborinæ, than amongst the Buzzards. To the latter it is closely
related in the form of its nostrils; in the kind of plumage which
covers the head, breast, and shoulders; in the reticulation of the
scales on its feet and tarsi, and less closely in the form of its beak.
To the Polyborinæ it manifests an affinity in the great strength and
length of its toes and claws, and in the bluntness of the latter; in
the nakedness of the cere, in the perfectly uncovered nostrils, in the
prolongation and bulk of the bill, in the straightness of the line of
commissure, and in the narrow shape of the head. In these several
respects, taken conjointly with its habits, this bird supplies a most
interesting link in the chain of affinities, by which the true buzzards
pass into the great American sub-family of carrion-feeding hawks. I am,
indeed, unable to decide, whether I have judged rightly in placing this
genus, as first of the Buteoninæ, instead of last of the Polyborinæ.

COLOUR.—Entire dorsal aspect umber brown: base of
feathers on hind
part of neck, white; base of those on back, irregularly banded with
pale fulvous, and the scapulars with a distinct band of it. The
inferior feathers of upper tail coverts banded in like manner to their
extremities. Tail dusky clove-brown, obscurely marked with darkened
transverse narrow bands. Primaries perfectly black towards their
extremities, but with the outer edge of their base, gray: inner web
banded and freckled with gray, brown, and white, which in the
secondaries takes the form of regular bars. Under surface,
entirely
umber brown, but rather paler than the upper. Lining of wings gray,
with irregular transverse brown bars: under-side of tail the same, but
paler. Thighs of a rather yellower brown. Bill and cere horn colour,
mottled with pale gray: tarsi yellow.

FORM.—Beak, with apex much arched, both longer and more
pointed than
it is in the group of the Polyborinæ. Cere naked, with few bristles;
nostrils large, quite uncovered, irregularly triangular, with the
angles much rounded, and situated rather above a central line between
the culmen and commissure. Fourth primary longest, but third and fifth
nearly equal to it; first, four inches and a half shorter than fourth,
and equal to the eighth; second shorter than fifth. Extremities of wing
reaching within half an inch of end of tail.

Tarsi strong, feathered for nearly a third of their length
beneath
the joint. Scales in narrow, undivided (with the exception in some
instances of one) bands, covering the front of tarsus. Toes very strong
and rather long, like those of the species of Milvago, and
much more so than in the genus Buteo. Hind-toe equal in
length
to the inner one; but not placed quite so high on the Tarsus as in Polyborus.
Basal joints of middle toe covered with small scales, with five
large ones towards the extremity. Claws very strong, thick and long,
and rather more arched, and broader than in Polyborus Brasiliensis
; their extremities obtuse, but not in so great a degree as in
some species of Milvago.

Inches.

Total
length from tip of bill to
end of tail following
curvature of body . . . . . .

COLOUR.—Head, back of neck, back, wing coverts and
tertiaries barred
and mottled, both with pale umber brown (of the same tint as in the
male bird) and with pale fulvous orange. On head and back of neck, each
feather is of the latter colour, with a mere patch of the brown on its
tip; but in the longer feathers, as in the scapulars, upper tail
coverts, inner web and part of outer of the tertiaries, each is
distinctly barred with the dark brown. Tail as in the old male.
Primaries black as in male, with the inner webs nearly white, and
marked with short transverse bars. Under surface and thighs of the same
fulvous orange, but some of the feathers, especially those on the
breast, are marked with small spots of umber brown on their tips. Some
of the longer feathers on the flanks, on the under tail coverts, and on
the linings of the wing, have irregular bars of the same.

FORM and SIZE.—Larger and more robust than the male. Total
length 24
inches. Tail ten and a half inches long, and therefore longer in
proportion to the wings than in the other sex. Wings from joint to end
of primaries, 17¼.

This bird is, I believe, confined to the Galapagos
Archipelago,
where on all the islands, it is excessively numerous. It inhabits,
indifferently, either the dry sterile region near the coast, which,
perhaps, is its most general resort, or the damp and wooded summits of
the volcanic hills. This bird, in most of its habits and disposition,
resembles the Milvago leucurus, or the Falco Novæ
Zelandiæof older authors. It is extremely tame, and frequents the
neighbourhood of any building inhabited by man. When a tortoise is
killed even in the midst of the woods, these birds immediately
congregate in great numbers, and remain either seated on the ground, or
on the branches of the stunted trees, patiently waiting to devour the
intestines, and to pick the carapace clean, after the meat has been cut
away. These birds will eat all kinds of offal thrown from the houses,
and dead fish and marine productions cast up by the sea. They are said
to kill young doves, and even chickens; and are very destructive to
the little tortoises, as soon as they break through the shell. In these
respects this bird shows its alliance with the buzzards. Its flight is
neither elegant nor swift. On the ground it is able, like the M.
leucurus and Phalcobænus
montanus of D'Orbigny, to run
very quickly. This habit which, as before observed, is so anomalous in
the Falcons, manifests in a very striking manner the relation of this
new genus with the Polyborinæ. It is,
also, a noisy bird,
and
utters many different cries, one of which was so very like the shrill
gentle scream of the M. chimango, that the officers of the
"Beagle" generally called it either by this name, or from its larger
size by that of Carrancha,—both names, however, plainly
indicating its close and evident relationship with the birds of that
family. The craw is feathered; and does not, I believe, protrude like
that of the P. Brasiliensis or M. leucurus. It
builds
in trees, and the female was just beginning to lay in October. The bird
of which the full figure has been given, is a young female, but of, at
least, one year old. The old male-bird is of a uniform dusky plumage,
and is seen behind. The adult female resembles the young of the same
sex, but the breast is dark brown like that of the male. In precisely
the same manner as was remarked in the case of the M. leucurus,
these
old females are present in singularly few proportional numbers. One day
at James' Island, out of thirty birds, which I counted standing within
a hundred yards of the tents, under which we were bivouacked, there was
not a single one with the dark brown breast. From this circumstance I
am led to conclude that the females of this species (as with the M.
leucurus) acquire their full plumage late in life.

I obtained specimens of this bird from Chiloe and the
Falkland
Islands, and Captain King who first described it, procured his
specimens from Port Famine, Lat. 53° 38' in Tierra del Fuego. M.
D'Orbigny states that it has a wide range over the provinces of La
Plata, central Chile, and even Bolivia; but in this latter country, it
occurs only on the mountains, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet
above the sea. The same author states, that it usually frequents open
and dry countries; but as we now see that it is found in the dense and
humid forests of Chiloe and Tierra del Fuego, this remark is not
applicable. At the Falkland Islands, it preys chiefly on the rabbits,
which have run wild and abound over certain parts of the island. This
bird was considered by Captain King as a Haliaëtus; but Mr.
Gould thinks it is more properly placed with the Buzzards. Captain King
gave it the appropriate specific name of erythronotus, and,
therefore, as Mr. Gould observes, the more recent one of tricolor,
given by M. D'Orbigny, must be passed over.

COLOUR.—Head and back of neck umber brown, with edges of
the
feathers fringed with fulvous, (or buff orange with some reddish
orange) and their bases white. Shoulders brown, with the feathers more
broadly edged. Back the same, with the basal part of the feathers
fulvous, with transverse bars of the dark brown. Tail blueish gray,
with numerous, narrow, transverse, faint black bars. Tail-coverts pale
fulvous, with irregular bars of dark fulvous and brown. Wings :
primaries blackish gray, obscurely barred; secondaries and tertiaries
more plainly barred, and tipped with fulvous. Wing coverts, dark umber
brown, largely tipped, and marked with large

spots, almost forming bars, of pale fulvous. Under
surface.—Chin
black; throat and breast ochre yellow, with a narrow dark brown line
on the shafts of the feathers, which, in those on the sides of the
throat and breast expands into a large oval spot. Feathers on belly
reddish brown, fringed and marked at base with the ochre yellow. Lining
of wings ochre yellow, with numerous transverse bars of dark brown.
Under-side of tail, inner webs almost white, outer pale gray, with very
obscure transverse bars. Thighs, ochre yellow, with numerous zigzag
transverse bars of pale reddish brown. Bill pale blackish; iris brown
; tarsi gamboge yellow.

FORM. — Fourth primary very little longer than
third, and about half an inch longer than fifth. First rather shorter
than seventh, and longer than eighth. Wings when folded reaching within
two inches of the extremity of the tail.

Inches.

Total
length . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .

21½

Length
of tail . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .

10

Wings
when folded . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .

16½

From
tip of beak to within
anterior edge of nostril, measured in
straight line . . . .

85/100

Tarsi
from soles of feet to
middle of knee joint . . . . . . . . .

3¾

Middle
toe, measured from basal
joint to tip of claw . . . . . . .
.

2½

Habitat, Strait of Magellan, (February,) and Port
St.
Julian in Southern Patagonia, (January.)

COLOUR.—Head, back of neck, back, and wing-coverts, umber
brown.
Feathers on sides of throat edged with fulvous; those on lower parts
of back with their basal parts marked with large white spots, edged
with fulvous, but which do not show, until the feathers are ruffled.
Tail of the same dark brown as the back, with many bars of pale brown,
and extreme points tipped with dirty white. Tail-coverts same brown,
with the more lateral ones marked with white and fulvous. Wings :
primaries black, with the inner and basal webs brownish; secondaries
and tertiaries brown, with obscure traces of paler

transverse bars. Under surface.—Chin almost
white; throat
and breast very pale ochre yellow, with narrow brown lines on the shaft
of the feathers, which expand into large marks on the sides of the
upper part of the breast, and into regular spots on those of the belly.
Lining of wing white, with brown spots on the feathers near their tips,
like on those of the belly. Thighs very pale ochre yellow, with
transverse bars of pale brown, appearing like inverted wedge-formed
marks, with the apex on the shafts. Under tail-coverts almost white;
under side of tail pale gray, with darker gray bars on the inner side
of shafts. Bill blueish black, with base of lower mandible and part of
upper yellowish. Tarsi pale yellow.

FORM.—Fourth primary very little
longer than either the third or fifth, which are equal. First nearly
equal to the eighth. Extremity of wing when folded reaching within two
inches and a half of the end of the tail.

In.

Total
length . . . . . .

23

Wing
when folded . . . . .

15½

Tail
. . . . . .
.

9½

Tarsi
. . . . .
. .

3½

Middle
toe from joint to tip of
claw . .

3

From
extremity of beak to within
nostril .

9/10

Habitat, Santa Cruz, Lat. 50° S. Patagonia, (April.)

Mr. Gould remarks that "this species has all the
characters of a
true Buteo, and will rank as one of the finest of this well
defined group. In size it rather exceeds the Common Buzzard of Europe,
which in its general style of colouring it somewhat resembles."

SUB-FAM.—FALCONINA, VIG.

FALCO FEMORALIS. Temm.

Falco femoralis, Temm. Pl. Col.
121 male;
and 343 adult
male.

—————— Spix, Av. Sp. Nov. 1. p.
18.

This specimen was shot in a small valley on the plains of
Patagonia,
at Port Desire, in Lat. 47° 44'. It builds its nest in low bushes, and
the female was sitting on the eggs in the beginning of January. Egg,
1.8 of an inch in longer diameter, and 1.4 in shorter; surface rough
with white projecting points; colour nearly uniform dirty "wood
brown," thickly freckled with rather a darker tint; general
appearance, as if it had been rubbed in brown mud. M. D'Orbigny
supposed that Latitude 34° was the southern limit of this species; we
now find its range three hundred and thirty miles further southward.
The same author states that this falcon prefers a dry open country with
scattered bashes, which answers to the character of the valleys, in the
plains near Port Desire.

I obtained specimens both from North and South Patagonia
(Rio Negro
and Santa Cruz), and Captain King found it at Port Famine in Tierra del
Fuego. I saw it at Lima in Peru; and Mr. Macleay (Zoological Journal,
vol. iii.) sent specimens from Cuba. According to Wilson it is common
in the United States, and Richardson says its northern range is about
54°. The Tinnunculus therefore, ranges throughout both
Americas over more than 107 degrees of latitude, or 6420 geographical
miles. It is the only bird, which I saw in South America, that hovered
over one particular spot, in the same stationary manner, as the common
English kestrel (Falco tinnunculus, Linn.) is so frequently
observed to do.

COLOUR.—Head, back of throat, whole back, and wing-coverts
umber
brown, of a nearly uniform tint, and not very dark. Front, over the
nostrils, with few fulvous bristly feathers; over the eyes, extending
backward, a pale almost pure white streak, which joins an irregular
band, extending across the nape of the neck, from below ear to ear, of
brown feathers, edged with pale fulvous, giving a streaked appearance
to that part. The wing-coverts are just tipped with dirty white. Wings
: primaries of the same brown as the back, the inner ones assuming a
gray tinge; these, and the basal parts of the inner webs of all, are
obscurely barred; secondaries and tertiaries of a paler brown than the
interscapular region. Tail grayish brown, with five well-defined bars,

about ¾ of an inch wide, of the same brown, as the rest of
the upper
surface; extremities tipped with very pale dirty brown. Tail-coverts;
upper ones brown, and the under ones white, with small brown spots on
the shaft towards their extremities. Under surface. — Chin,
pale fulvous, or ochre yellow. Breast, belly, thighs and under
tail-coverts the same; the feathers on the lower part of the breast
and on the belly have a dark brown mark along the shaft, which widens
but very little towards the extremity; the brown on those on the upper
part of the breast and on the throat is broader, and some of the
feathers are of a darker fulvous, and as the dark brown of the back
encroaches on each side, this part is much darker than the rest of the
under surface. Above this, and just beneath the chin, a kind of collar
is formed from ear to ear, of short feathers of a more strongly
pronounced fulvous tint, with a narrow brown streak on their shafts.
Lining of wings, and flanks almost white, with transverse brown bars.
Under side of tail pale gray passing into fulvous, with the terminal
dark brown bars seen through. Bill, horn-coloured, with some white
markings towards its base; tarsi bright yellow.

FORM.—Third primary
rather longer than fourth, second equal to fifth; first more nearly
equal to the sixth than to the seventh. Wings reaching within an inch
of the end of the tail. Feathers on thighs depend but little below the
knee.

In.

Total
length . . . . . .

22

Wings
folded . . . . . .

17

Tail
. . . . . .
.

10½

Tarsi
. . . . .
. .

31/3

Middle
toe end of
claw . . .

2¾

From
tip of bill to nearest part
of cere .

75/100

Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (July.)

This hawk was not uncommon on the grassy savannahs and
hills in the
neighbourhood of the Rio Plata. Mr. Gould remarks "that in size it
fully equals the Circus æruginosus
of Europe, which it
doubtless represents in the countries it inhabits. This species has a
remarkable specific character in the lanceolate and conspicuous stripes
down its breast."

was, for one of its order, very tame. The same author
gives a
curious account of its habits: in a different manner from other
raptorial birds, when it has killed its prey, it does not fly to a
neighbouring tree, but devours it on the spot. It roosts on the ground,
either on the top of a sand hillock, or by the bank of a stream: it
sometimes walks, instead of hopping, and when doing so, it has some
resemblance in general habit to the Milvago chimango. It
preys
on small quadrupeds, molluscous animals, and even insects; and I find
in my notes, that I saw one in the Falkland Islands, feeding on the
carrion of a dead cow. Although in these respects this Circus manifests
some relation in its habits with the Polyborinæ,
yet it has
the elegant and soaring flight, peculiar to its family; and in form it
does not depart from the typical structure. Mr. Gould remarks that "we
see in this elegant bird as perfect an analogue of the Circus
cyaneus of Europe, as in the preceding species of the Circus
æruginosus."

FAMILY.—STRIGIDÆ.

SUB-FAM.—SURNINÆ.

ATHENE CUNICULARIA. Bonap.

Strix cunicularia, Mol. Bonap.
Am. Orni.
I. 68. pl. 7. f. 2.

This bird, from its numbers and the striking peculiarities
of its
habits has been mentioned in the works of all travellers, who have
crossed the Pampas. In Banda Oriental it is its own workman, and
excavates its burrow on any level spot of sandy soil; but in the
Pampas, or wherever the Bizcacha is found, it uses those made by that
animal. During the open day, but more especially in the evening, these
owls may be seen in every direction standing frequently by pairs on the
hillock near their habitation. If disturbed, they either enter the
hole, or, uttering a shrill harsh cry, move with a remarkably
undulatory flight to a short distance, and then turning round, steadily
gaze at their pursuer. Occasionally in the evening they may be heard
hooting. I found in the stomachs of two which I opened the remains of
mice; and I saw a small snake killed and carried away by one. It is
said that reptiles are the common object of their prey during the day
time. Before I was aware, from the numbers of mice caught in my traps,
how vastly numerous the small rodents are in these open countries, I
felt much surprise how such infinite numbers of owls could find
sufficient means of support. I never saw this bird south of the Rio
Negro, (Lat. 41° S.) In North America they frequent only the
trans-Mississippian territories in the neighbourhood of the Rocky
Mountains. The account given by Say of their habits, agrees with what

may every day be observed in the Pampas; but in the
northern
hemisphere they inhabit the burrows of the Marmot or Prairie dog,
instead of those of the Bizcacha; and it would appear that their food
is chiefly derived from insects, instead of from small quadrupeds and
reptiles. Mr. Gould says he has compared my specimens from La Plata and
Chile, on opposite sides of the Cordillera, with those from Mexico and
the Rocky Mountains of North America, and he cannot perceive the
slightest specific difference between them.

COLOUR.—Facial disc; plumose feathers immediately around
the eyes,
nearly black, tipped with glossy fulvous; those nearer the margin are
white at their base, and only slightly tipped with a darker brown.
Between the eyes a band of small fulvous feathers with a central streak
of dark brown, passing backward, blends into the plumage of the nape.
Back of head and throat streaked with fulvous and brown, the centre of
each feather being brown, and its edge fulvous. Interscapular region
and the feathers of the wing, coloured in the same manner, but the
fulvous part is indented on each side of the shaft in the brown, giving
an obscurely barred appearance to these feathers. Primaries brown, with
large rounded marks of fulvous; those on the first feather being
smaller, and almost white: wing-coverts brown, and but little mottled.
Tail with transverse bars of the same brown and fulvous, the latter
colour much clearer and stronger on the external feathers; in the
central ones, the fulvous part includes irregular markings of the dark
brown. Under surface.—Throat and breast, with center of each
feather brown, edged with fulvous; the former colour being
predominant. On the belly and under tail-coverts the brown coloured
marks on the shafts are narrow, but they are united to narrow
transverse bars, which form at the

UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS
COMMISSIONERS OF HER
MAJESTY'S TREASURY.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF

THE ZOOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA:

Consisting chiefly of Figures and
Descriptions of the
Objects of Natural History collected during an Expedition
into the Interior of South Africa, in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836,
fitted out by
"The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa."

TOGETHER WITH

A SUMMARY OF AFRICAN ZOOLOGY,

AND AN INQUIRY INTO THE GEOGRAPHICAL RANGES
OF
SPECIES IN THAT QUARTER OF THE GLOBE.

BY ANDREW SMITH, M.D.

SURGEON TO THE FORCES, AND DIRECTOR OF THE
EXPEDITION.

————————————————————————

Prospectus.

THE Cape of Good Hope is now acknowledged to be one of the
greatest
avenues as yet opened for the researches of the Naturalist. Our Colony
in that part of Southern Africa is the key to a large portion of an
extensive continent which is still but very partially explored; and
the field to which it admits the scientific traveller is rich to
exuberance in the variety and novelty, both of animal and vegetable
life.

Stimulated by the prospect of Discovery in a quarter so
fertile in
interest, "The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring
Central
Africa" was established in 1833; and in 1836, an Expedition fitted
out
by that body, consisting of thirty-four persons, and directed by Dr.
Smith, after an absence of nineteen months, and penetrating as
far as 23° 28' South latitude, returned to Cape Town laden with a
variety of curious and important specimens in Natural History, &c.

Previously to this period little information has been
furnished, in
a
shape calculated to enable the public to form accurate ideas of the
various animated beings by which these regions are inhabited. The
splendid publication of Le Vaillant, no doubt, should be mentioned as
forming an exception, pro tanto; but this includes only a
portion of
the Birds of the most southern extremity of the country, and a work
therefore extensive enough to comprehend the various departments of
Zoology is still a desideratum.

The members of The Cape of Good Hope Association for
Exploring
Central Africa found themselves, on the return of the recent
Expedition, in a situation to supply at least some portion of the
existing deficiencies; but their funds, even if it had been possible
to divert them to such an object, were altogether inadequate to defray
the expense of laying the result of their labours before the world.
Under such circumstances, it was decided that Dr. Smith, the
director of the Expedition, should be authorised, on his arrival in
England, to wait upon Lord Glenelg, for the purpose of making him
acquainted with the position and views of the Society, in the hope that
Government might be induced to assist in the publication of their
materials.

This hope has not been disappointed. At the recommendation
of the
Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, the Lords Commissioners
of Her Majesty's Treasury have been pleased, by a pecuniary grant, to
enable the
Society to publish the result of its labours, without infringing upon
the funds raised solely for the purposes of discovery; and in a form
which, while it places the work within reach of most of the friends and
promoters of science, will not, it is hoped, be found inconsistent with
the interest and importance of the subject.

The materials for the work now offered, under such
patronage, to the
public, will consist of pictorial illustrations of between three and
four hundred subjects of the animal kingdom, all of which have been
collected to the south of 23° 28' South latitude; and will comprise,

First, and principally, unknown animals;

Secondly, animals known, but not yet figured; and

Lastly, such as have been imperfectly figured; but of
which the
Association is in possession of accurate drawings.

The Entomological portion of the work will be from the pen
of W. S.
Macleay, Esq., who has kindly undertaken that department. The rest of
the descriptions will be furnished by Dr. Smith, who will add a summary
of African Zoology, and an inquiry into the Geographical ranges of
species in that quarter of the Globe.

Conditions of Publication.

The Work will appear periodically; and it is estimated
that the
whole will be completed in about thirty-four parts, price, on an
average, Ten Shillings each. As it will be necessary that the plates be
published promiscuously, they will be arranged in five divisions, viz.
MAMMALIA, AVES, PISCES, REPTILIA, and INVERTEBRATÆ. The plates of each
of these divisions will be numbered independently, and the letter-press
descriptions left unpaged, so that on the work being completed, they
may be arranged either agreeably to the general classified order which
will accompany the last number, or according to the particular views of
the purchasers.

—————————————————————

The whole of the Plates will be engraved in
the
highest style of Art, from Drawings taken expressly for this Work,
and beautifully coloured after Nature.